We never were
by wish-upon-a-fanfic
Summary: Zutara. Many years pass and Zuko and Katara meet several times. Oneshot. Personal favorite of mine...


It's the same old story. Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. Boy likes girl. Girl pushes guy away. Guy forgets girl. Girl likes boy. Boy no longer likes girl. Girl is sad, and boy realizes he does like girl. Boy and girl start to fall in love, but boy is crowned fire lord, and girl is shipped off to rebuild her tribe.

But what happens when Zuko and Katara find each other again...and again... and again?

I ruffled her hair and leaned down to hug her.

"Miss Katara?" the little girl muttered.

"Yes Kiki?" I asked smiling as her small arms wrapped around me.

"Who is that strange man?" she whispered to me. I looked up and gasped. I pulled her behind my skirts and stood up, a defiant look on my face.

"Katara?" Zuko asked, closing the distance between us. I almost smiled at the sight of his royal robes against the animal skins of our hut. He frowned at my face. "Is that you?"

"Firelord Zuko," I said stiffly. He winced at his new title. "What has it been, four or five years?" I took the silence as an oppurtunity to get Kiki out of the conversation.

"Kiki, why don't you and your brother go fishing?" I pushed her gently forward and she obliged, but then stopped at Zuko. She reached her hand out and before he could stop her, she touched his hand and turned to smile at me.

"He _is_ warm!" she exclaimed. I blushed. I thought she would have forgotten the stories by now. She rushed out of the hut. Zuko grinned evily at me.

"I'm warm?" he asked slyly. I blushed even fiercer and turned to tidy up the already-clean space. He walked closer to me and as I leaned down to pick up a mat, I could feel his breath on my neck and his hand aching to touch my back. My thoughts flickered to the day we parted from each other...

_"I'm leaving. I'm going back home," I told him in his office. His eyes widened and in a flash was on the other side of his desk, staring deep into my welling eyes._

_"Why? You're happy here!" he told me, as if I did not know that already._

_"Zuko this is the fire nation! I am a water-bender. And-and... well, I need to find someone," I said, looking down and shuffling my feet._

_"Someone? As in, a male someone?" Zuko asked, tilting my chin up. I closed me eyes and nodded._

_"Yes, a male someone. I need to make something of my life. I don't want the old adventures to end," I sighed and looked up at his beautiful eyes. So much sadness and concern in them... could it be he really cared? He leaned in closer and I knew he was going to kiss me. I panicked and jerked my head away, looking at the door. He was still leaning in, but now he was looking down. He sighed, a painful sound for the both of us. _

_"I guess, I should be leaving now," I whispered, letting some tears fall. He looked up slowly and nodded._

_"I guess you should..."_

"Katara," he whispered, and I couldn't surpress a small shudder.

"Zuko, no," I said, turning around and pushing him away. "I-I can't. You have to leave now."

He stared unblinkingly at me and shook his head.

"You are getting married," he stated. He rubbed his forehead.

"Zuko-"

"You're are either married, or betrothed. Katara, you're right, I guess I should leave." He turned, still shaking his head. I opened my mouth and choked on my words. He walked slowly, waiting for me to say something. I didn't.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

I sat in my study, the pressure of the situation building up the more I thought.

There was a knock on my door, which singled more work.

"Yes?" I called, and the door opened, and a water-tribe girl slipped through it. I sighed. Yet another concubine looking for a job.

"I am NOT interested in your services," I said in annoyance.

"Uh, Zuko?" she whispered. My head snapped up and the ink pen I was holding fell to my desk. I stood up slowly.

"Katara?"

She looked around, and finally her eyes rested on me. "Hi."

I walked from behind my desk and catching both of us in surprise I grabbed her and hugged her with all my might.

"Katara," I whispered into her hair. She pulled away and looked down.

"I..." I thought about what I should say to her. I decided on being honesy. "I missed you."

She looked up and I saw something flicker in her eyes. Was it hope? But then it was gone.

"Oh," she said and looked back down, blushing.

"Oh?" I asked. What the heck did 'oh' mean?

"Oh as in... that's, uh, nice of you?" she said, blushing more.

"Did you, um, miss...me?" I asked, afraid of the answer. She looked at the door. I let go of her and frowned, suddenly pained that she wouldn't answer me.

"Oh," I muttered, and returned to my desk.

"Oh?" she whispered, still staring at the door. I looked up at her sunken-in face and her bony arms.

"Oh as in... I know you don't have feelings for me and that you never will," I was ashamed of my cruel words, but pushed the feeling away and continued working. I looked up after a couple of minutes and saw that she was standing in the doorway, her back to me.

"Good-bye, Zuko," she whispered, and my heart twisted painfully. My stomach dropped and I choked. And in a matter of seconds, she was gone. Uncle waddled in, looking after her.

"Another wanna-be suitor?" he asked slowly. I sighed, frustrated.

"I wish..."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Katara moved her way through the earth kingdom market, her basket of fruit on her bony hip. She was wearing her traditional blue outift, and her hair was pulled back into her usual sloppy braid/bun. A drunken man pushed past her, the food flying everywhere. She felt like crying. After all her good bargaining and the Spirits threw it away! She bent down and was picking them up when she saw a familiar pale hand holding a couple of apples out to her. She followed the hand and watched as the hand turned into a black robed arm and the arm turned into a red clothed chest and the chest supported the head, that belonged to he man she wished so dearly she had married.

"Zuko..." she whispered, sitting up on her knees. He wore the same tired and surprised expression on his face.

"Katara?" he asked.

_Love shall wait for you, around every corner, through every window. All you have to do is make the journey to reach it..._

_-Taeillr_


End file.
